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Mel Gibson received further critical acclaim for his directing of the 2006 action-adventure film Apocalypto.

His fourth directorial effort is set in Mesoamerica during the early 16th century against the turbulent end times of a Maya civilization. The sparse dialogue is spoken in the Yucatec Maya language by a cast of Native American descent.

Gibson himself has emphasized his Apocolypto masterpiece is actually an elaborate attempt to expose the ultimate impermanence of all great civilizations, while illustrating the kinds of meta-forces that would most likely cause any to decline and disintegrate … and at surprisingly fast speeds.

Gibson explains thus:

“People think that modern man is so enlightened, but we’re susceptible to the same forces – and we are also capable of the same heroism and transcendence.”

The significance of this overriding theme is introduced by this next quote, which you will see deliberately superimposed at the very beginning of this memorable production:

“A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has [first] destroyed itself from within.”

Will Durant

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